Family Heirloom
by faytalbelgrl80
Summary: A story where Albel passes the Accession of the Flame Ceremony instead of fails it and his father is still alive. I wrote this because Glou is awesome and deserves more read time on this site. There's not enough out there.


Hey, guys, this is just something I wrote the other night because my friend and I both love Glou. There are not enough stories about him on here, so I thought I'd contribute something to the effort. I have another one in the works, so be patient.

Disclaimer: Wow, what was I thinking when I published this; I did it all wrong. Sorry I'm editing, I'm sure its a pain for you. I just needed to add the disclaimer. So here it is. I do not own star ocean or anything else, no characters no scenes, places, or histories. Nothing.

As usual, enjoy the story everyone. Hope you like it.

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Family Heirloom

Glou Nox woke up and looked at the clock. He yawned. This was the most proud day of his life. His only son, Albel, was about to take on a dragon and replace him as leader of the dragon brigade. He was so grateful that the king let him opt out of his mission to witness this event. This was going to be a fantastic day.

Glou knocked on the door to his son's room and slowly turned the knob. Albel was still asleep. He gently reached out his hand and shook Albel's shoulder. The teen stirred and looked up at his father. "Hmm? Is it time to get up already?"

"Sure is. Today is the day that you take over my position in the dragon brigade. I hope you got enough sleep. And I just wanted to wish you luck today, son. I'll be watching you. I know you'll do great." He turned and left Albel to get ready to go.

Albel came down the stairs wearing his usual black pants and cut off shirt with black gloves. "Yo, what's for breakfast? I'm starving." He was not let down. His mother, excited about his special day, had made a huge breakfast complete with bacon, eggs, sausage, toast, grits, and waffles. After Glou and his son had had their fill they thanked her for the meal and waved goodbye. She wished Albel luck as they walked out the door.

Glou led his son to the location that had been announced and proudly stood on the front row to watch Albel fight. Woltar came to stand beside him. "How do you feel about Albel going up against this dragon? He's one of the tougher ones. Aren't you worried?" Glou thought for a moment before he answered his best friend. "Well, a little, but I'm 37 now. I'm getting a bit too old for this, and I know I've trained Albel well. Barring any serious problems, he should be fine. This should be an interesting fight."

They stood together to watch the fight. The Captains both cheered Albel on, wincing whenever he made a mistake and yelling louder when he scored a blow. There was a time when Glou thought Albel might lose, but he got a second wind and kept fighting.

Glou breathed a sigh of relief and turned to his best friend. "Wow, that was a close one. That dragon almost had him there for a minute. I was holding my breath and everything." Woltar turned and replied. "Yeah, I was too. Albel has to be more careful or he'll be overcome. It's not easy to pass this Accession of the Flame test. I think I'm more worried than you. You must have a lot of faith in the boy."

Glou watched Albel fight a little more before answering. "I do. And not just because he's my son, but because I've seen the talent that he possesses during his training. When he's focused, he's unstoppable. And that will be his advantage here today."

"Interesting." Woltar said before turning back to the fight. Albel was slowly pulling ahead of the dragon, and it was looking more like a victory. Woltar and Glou began to worry a little less. As time dragged on, the dragon became more and more fatigued until it finally collapsed from exhaustion. Albel was declared the winner.

Glou jumped up and shouted for Albel's victory. He ran out onto the battlefield to congratulate Albel. "Awesome job, Albel! I knew you could do it! I'm so proud of you! Congratulations! You're now the captain of the Dragon Brigade."

Albel looked up at that. "What? What about you?" He was a little upset that his father had not told him of the added bonus to winning the ceremony. Tears came to his eyes at the thought that he had finally attained his lifelong goal. He had always wanted to replace his father as head of the Dragon Brigade. It was such an honor.

Glou looked down into his son's eyes and wiped away his tears. "I'm proud of you today, son. You have earned your spot as head of the Dragon Brigade. And don't worry about me. Woltar already had a place lined up for me in the Storm Brigade in case you succeeded. You'll be a great captain. Good luck."

According to the ceremony, Glou reached down to the tired dragon's mouth and yanked out one of its teeth. He put it on a gold chain from his pocket and put it on Albel's neck. "In commemoration of your success, I present to you this token." Once the words were said and the ceremony was over, Glou and Albel began the long walk home.

Glou watched Albel as they walked home. Once they walked in the door, and Albel told the whole story to his mother, Glou got up to give Albel another token. "I was sure that your mother would want to see this, so I waited. I have this to give to you also. My own gift for defeating the dragon."

Glou took a small ring on his right hand and handed it to Albel. This is the ring that my father gave me when I defeated my dragon. I thought it was only appropriate that you should have it today. Take good care of it and pass it to your child someday. It's a very special heirloom that has been passed down in our family. Your grandfather discovered a cave full of those gems on one of his missions. That is a very rare gem. Treasure it."

"I will. Thank you. I won't let you down."

Both parents hugged their son separately, and wished him a good night. After all the worrying of the day, and the excitement, and eventual peace and happiness, Albel was exhausted. He would not admit this to his father, but in the beginning he had not been sure that he would succeed. He slipped off to sleep thankful for his luck and all the skills that his father had taught him. It was good to know that everything was once again right with the world. He looked at the ring until he fell asleep, confident in his future success in life.

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Enjoy everyone, read and review.

A/N: Actually, I know what I was thinking. My cousin was in class with me and I was so surprised to see her after a 6 year hiatus from college that I lost it and finished as fast as I could so I could talk to her. My bad, y'all. I'm looking forward to seeing her every Monday and Wednesday.


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